Falling In The Black
by IHeartTheStarlights
Summary: A heated argument leads Rukia to break the unspoken rule between Renji and her. But when she wakes up days later and Renji is accused of a crime, how far will she go to clear the man whose love she rejected?
1. So Cold

Tears coursed down her cheeks as she screamed her frustrations to the stormy sky.

"Despite all you've done for me--"

She took a shaky breath, her breath showing up in the freezing night.

The rain had soaked them both. Black and white fabric clung to their skin.

"I don't love you! I don't look at you that way! HE loves me for who I am now, NOT who I was back in Rukongai!"

Dark brown eyes widened in shock and hurt. "Ru--"

She cut him off. He _needed_ to know this. "_You_ were never there for me, when I needed you most! _You_ left me in a family that only sees me as Hisana's replacement! _You _weren't there when I killed the man I loved!" she shrieked.

Her breathing was loud and ragged. It had taken a lot out of her to say that to her best friend.

His eyes dropped to the ground. He didn't say anything. He couldn't.

He walked towards her. "Rukia... listen to me."

"Go away." She refused to look at him.

He was hurt deeply (but why would she care? why should she goes after _him_? never was he viewed as more than a friend, the orange teen was always the one. always) but just decided not to show it.

"Rukia, don't act like you're five." His voice was firm now, with underlying anger in it.

Her hands were clenched into fists. (why wouldn't he just leave?) "_B__ack off." _

"Rukia!" Renji snapped. "For God's sake,_ look at me_!"

Her blue eyes went icy with rage. "What, Renji?! What the hell do you want from me!?"

"I just wanted you to be fuckin' happy!" He yelled angrily. "But obviously, that's gone to hell, hasn't it?!"

Shaking with anger, she marched up to him...

...And slapped him with all her might.

It stung, and even more so from her. Shaking with a newfound resolve, he gripped her wrist none too gently and threw it away from him. "Fine."

Turning his back on the only person he'd ever loved, he left.

He'd _knew_ never seen her again. He refused to turn around.

"Renji!"

Zabimaru roared in his mind,**_ turn back, apologize, made it up to her _**but Renji simply tuned his zanpaktou out.

"FINE! Leave me like you did every other time!"

Her wounding words forced him to stop. A flash of lightning ilummuniated the scene. (why were there only _bad_ memories in the rain?)

But Renji has vanished. Rukia dropped to her knees. She felt light-headed now, and numb.

Her vision grew blurry and dark. Her breathing got harder and more labored.

Just before she passed out, she screamed...

...But only her echo answered her.


	2. The Accused

Bleary blue eyes slowly opened, heavy eyelids fighting against it much.

White... _B__linding_ white.

Her dazed expression quickly vanished and was replaced by a much more serious one.

Hurridly she sat up...

...And instantly, she cried out, clutching her stomach in pain. _what the--?_

"Rukia-san!"

Black hair swished around to find a younger shinigami stood there, his long black bangs framing the sides of his face.

"..Hanatarou," she said simply.

The normally energetic boy looked pretty worn out. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Thank goodness." Hanatarou replied, leaning against the doorframe.

Rukia gestured to the room. "What happened?"

Hanatarou's attention suddenly sharpened, "You just woke up..."

Eyebrows went up. "I can handle it."

The normally sheepish boy looked startled._ S__he picked up on things fast_. "A divison member found you in Rukongai..."

Rukia stared down at the sheets, frowning. T_hink think think... It was raining... I'm out in Rukongai. W_hen none of this jogged any memory she asked, "When did this happen?"

"Th...Three days ago.."

Her eyes went wide, "_Three_? I've been out for_ three days_?"

"Your wounds were nearly fatal, Rukia-san!"

Rukia held her head in deep thought. Finally, she asked "Anything else?"

It seemed the 4th squad kid was hoping to avoid this question, which raised Rukia's level of suspion to "high."

"Yes.." Anxiety was written all over his voice.

"Hanatarou?"

"Yes?" the boy looked at her guiltily.

"What was it?"

He couldn't stand the tension anymore. He blurted out, "it's Renji-san!"

Startled, Rukia cried out, "what?!"

_(( HE loves me for who I am now, not who I was back in Rukongai! ))_

Hanatarou breathed out heavily. It now seemed obvious Hanatarou was the one, (or one of) squad member who helped heal Rukia. "The day we found you, Renji-san didn't show up for work. He hasn't been seen since. His reiastu was around you when you got carried in."

_(( For God's sake, _**look at me**_! ))_

"You're saying you think _R__enji _attacked me?" Rukia asked, staring past her friend at the blank wall.

"No," Hanatarou said. "I'm saying we _know_ he did."


	3. Don't Leave Me Alone

rukia paced the wooden floors of the kuchiki manor, walking in an almost irratated manner.

_they're lying they're lying they're lying!_

that was her first thought. the black-haired shinigami had never really acted like a child, especially since having kuchiki byakuya as a brother didn't exactly encourage it -- or any sort of happiness for that matter. however, she just couldn't believe renji would attack her like that, especially since a few minutes before renji was screaming at her about how he just wanted her to be happy.

sinking into a nearby chair, she held her head in her hands and went over the conversation of yesterday.

* * *

"you _know_? how do you _know_?" her voice was incredulous. "you said someone found me, not _watched it happen_!" with the last words, her voice raised to a higher, more angry tone.

hanatarou put out his hands. "rukia-san, let me explain, _please_."

sitting back a little, she had the grace to look a bit ashamed. she looked out the window and hanatarou took this as his cue to begin.

"when we took you in, the reiastu around your wounds were astounding. only a vice-captain or higher could leave that kind of spirit trace. that was one of the things that was off-- the only half-sober people at the party said you left with abarai. and the wounds themselves... i've only seen it on one other person-- ichigo, after his skirmish with abarai-san. and...and..."

hanatarou stopped and look the small shinigami in the eyes. the normally icy blue eyes were soft. he looked away guility. when she spoke, her voice was flat. "yes?"

"...i'm surprised i noticed it, but i guess i just wanted to look at anything but my friend's stomach..." the 4th squad member said with a humorless laugh.

betraying her cold demenor, rukia asked a little nervously, "what?"

"look." hanatarou held out something in his hand, something that sparked a memory deep in rukia.

* * *

"rukia?"

startled out of her thoughts, rukia's head jerked up.

relief filled her eyes and she stood to greet her friend. "ichigo!"

the orange-haired teen gave a comforting grin as he leaned against the doorway, blocking out some of the fading sunlight, along with zangetsu tied to his back. "i heard what happened, and how renji's missing."

worry fell into her features again. "there's a lot of evidence pointing to him." rukia said simply.

ichigo easily read her thoughts. "you know as well as i do it wasn't him. renji wouldn't do that, let alone to you."

rukia looked away guility. ichigo's eyebrows furrowed. "what? is there's something you're not telling me?"

"ichigo, i..." she tried to start but ended up staring at the floor instead.

slowly, realization dawned in the teen's brillant brown eyes. "rukia, you_ told _him?"

tears filled the shinigami's eyes. "i swear, ichigo, i didn't mean to..." rukia closed her eyes and let a few tears roll down her face. her voice dropped lower as she continued, "we got drunk at the party in rukongai. the place got too crazy and i told him i wanted to leave. it was fine until..." she trailed off. "he was so angry when i told him... i told him to leave, leave me like he did all the other times i needed him."

ichigo was suddenly closer and hugged the smaller shinigami close to him. "don't blame yourself for this. no one could have guessed this would have happened, rukia."

"he loved me."

ichigo suddenly stiffened and looked down at rukia. "huh?"

"renji. i knew but i thought it was a brother-sister love not romantic love... it's all my--"

ichigo interupped her with a soft kiss. he ran his finger through her hair. "stop worrying. renji'll get his head on straight. not the first time this happened."

rukia grinned through her tears."idiot," she whispered, pretending to punch him, "you're not supposed to make me feel better."

-------------------

a black-hooded figure watched the couple kiss with watchful brown eyes. he longed to make himself known to the beautiful girl, but he knew better than to give into his desires. the last time he listened to his heart, things went to hell faster than the most evil hollow. turning his eyes downcast, he walked soundlessly away from the scene, crimson hair trailing behind him.


	4. Won't Look Back

urahara's brillant green eyes opened suddenly. he sat up in the darkness. _what was that noise...?_

urahara glanced at the clock beside him. 2:17 am. there was a shuffle of clothes a soft _thump_ of the doors where he kept his old inventions.

trying to keep quiet, he slipped through the doors leading to his backroom. the dull light of a flashlight illuminated a tall figure. there was also a reddish glow. blonde eyebrow went up. he recongized the reiastu and figure. but what was he doing at 2 in the morning in his shop, sneaking around in the backroom?

he didn't do anything, just stayed still as the figure searched through his possesions in search of something in particular. upon finding the object, he hastily pulled it on.

urahara cleared his throat to announce his presence. the figure turned around quickly, dropping his flashlight.

"my, my what brings you here?" urahara asked softly, his eyes glowing with knowing. " 'specially since i heard you're on the run, my friend."

"i didn't do it."

the shopkeeper leaned against the doorframe in his dark green robes. "everyone says that."

"i didn't do it. they have the wrong guy."

"then why did you run?"

"i don't have time for this." the voice replied coldly. he brushed past the ex-captain towards the door.

kisuke blocked the door with his cane. it glowed a bright red for a moment and the figure glimsped the silver gleam of a sword. "may i ask why you have my 'special' coat?"

"i need it. i'll return it when i'm finished." the voice answered unhappily.

the figure walked through the door and vanished into the darkness of the night.

the green eyes softened at the retreating figure. he understand the need to run when you get accused, even if you're completely innocent. aizen so graciously showed his _that_ experience. still, that made you look guilty nonetheless.

breathing into the cold morning air, he spoke his thoughts aloud. "my, my, renji-san, what have you done?"

* * *

((Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is so short, it's just to explain where the "black coat" came from. The one that Kisuke used to attack Aizen in the _Turn Back The Pendulum_ series. Will update soon.))


	5. Haunting Past

"What's that?" Ichigo asked softly.

Rukia looked up at him and followed his gaze. A single gold, but slightly tarnished, ring lay lonely looking alongside a small purple-pink flower, now wilting.

Rukia lowered her gaze, and shake her head. She didn't want to talk about it.

Not wanting to push it, Ichigo scratched the back of his head in deep thought. Rukia grew so meloncholy recently, she hardly did anything. Sleep, eat, _or_ talk. She had even got leave from the 13th squad so she could recover, physically and emotionally. It didn't make matters much better. All she did was sit in the wooden chair of her room in the Kuchiki mansion and stare, either at the wall or the ring and flower.

They had a special meaning to Rukia, that ring and flower. But she didn't say a single word on it, and he wasn't about to push her when she was already fragile.

Sighing softly and mumbling something about being back soon, Ichigo left. Rukia held her head in her hangs, the tears she tried to hide now finally falling.

The grabbed gingerly the ring and flower, and walked over to her bed. She lay down on the floor, arranged herself so she wouldn't crush the flower, hugged the ring, and cried her eyes out as the memory flooded her mind.

* * *

_"Look, Rukia." A slightly husky voice said gently. "Their graves have flowers, and they're in bloom."_

_Still sobbing and trying her hardest to stop the neverending flow of tears, Rukia hiccupped and stammered. "I-I don't care about flowers, Renji! I want our friends back!"_

_Renji knelt down beside Rukia. He gently raised her chin up so she could see what he was holding. "Look." He repeated._

_She looked and saw the most beautiful flower she had ever seen. A cross between a chrysanthemum and a rose, its edges had a pale lavender color and the petals darken towards the middle into a deep purple with little yellow stamen in the middle with a lighter yellow tips. Its stem was a lovely darker green, a color she always associated with the grass on Mt. __Koifushi. _

_Her tears had stopped and she gently held the pretty flower. _

_Renji had smiled back then. The last time he ever would in a long, long while._

* * *

_"I heard if you give that flower to someone, you're asking them to marry you!" the upperclassman declared to her group of fellow girls._

_Her group went "Aww!" and one the girls, asked excitedly, "What does the flower look like?"_

_"Like this!" The main girl announced with a flourish._

_"Wow! It's so pretty!" The girls cried._

_Suddenly a girl turned around and pointed out Rukia. "That girl has a flower!"_

_The girls had all rushed up to her, demanding to know who gave her that flower, who asked her to marry them. Rukia, confused, explained those flowers were the ones that grew on the graves of her friends, back in Rukongai._

_They all got quiet as the main girl said quietly, "Oh. You're from Rukongai."_

_Angrily, Rukia glared at the girl. "Hey, don't be judging me--"_

_Rukia got cut off by a slap to her hand, causing the flower to fall to the ground. Shocked, Rukia quickly got to her knees to get it. It was the last flower from their graves, and she had wanted to save it. _

_The girls laughed, "Look, she's so poor she can't even afford a flower!" and walked off, their laughing floating back to Rukia's ears. The flower had gotten bruised and a few of the petals fell off._

_She hurridly tried to pick up the flower when a blue and white knee came into view. She glanced up and saw Renji, looking as concerned as she was. "That was the last one, huh?" He asked. She nodded mutely. He gently picked up the flower and stood up. "I'll keep it safe." He replied. "I don't want this ruined by those chick's flithy noble hands and the guys in my dorm know I can kick their ass in a fair fight, so they won't bother me."_

_Rukia had nodded in agreement, and Renji prepared to walk off. Acting on an impulse, Rukia hugged him, tightly. _

_"Thank you," She whispered and was gone. _

* * *

Rukia stared miserably, missing her old friend terribly. The last, most faded memory, if it was a memory at all, was this:

_Her, when she was little, almost asleep in an abandoned shack they, her and Renji, had found as a resting place for the night. She remebered the rough cloth of her purple kimono and the earthy smell of the floor. It was cold, and Renji had lain beside her to keep her warm. Now, s__he wasn't quite sure if she dreamed this or not, but she remembered a shadow blocking out the moonlight briefly. Then she heard the hoarse whisper of her best and longest friend saying in a soft and lonely voice:_

_"I love you...Rukia."_


End file.
